Pokemon 151
by Mister Myuu
Summary: The goals of Team Rocket have just become far more sinister. Now, they need only one thing to complete their evil scheme... Mew. The fate of the world falls into the hands of an unlikely group. Can they save the world from dominion by Team Rocket?
1. The Story Begins

Chapter 1 -_The Story Begins…_

Swish, swish, swish… shlump… plop… swish, swish, swish… shlump… plop…

     "Boooooooooring…" A young adolescent boy groaned as he swished a mop back and forth across the tile floor of the lab. "Why do I always get stuck mopping the floors every day?" he complained with a sigh.

Hey. In case you're wondering who that grumpy teenager is, that's me. Or, at least, that was me ten years ago.

     "Finally! Finished at last!" The boy exclaimed as he finished his chore. 

     After unceremoniously tossing the mop into the broom closet, the boy headed toward a window in order to rid himself of the dirty mop water.

His name, and my name for that matter, is Rick Lancing. Why was I mopping the floor inside a Pokemon laboratory, you ask? The answer to that is simple…

     Rick opened one of the windows and dumped the water down into the courtyard as he had done countless times before. This time, however, the splash of the water hitting the ground was accompanied by a loud yelp.

I was one of Professor Oak's Aides.

     "Rick!!" Prof. Oak bellowed from the courtyard below the window.

     "Oops… err.. sorry Professor. I didn't see you there," apologized Rick meekly.

     "Don't worry about it," Prof. Oak said with a sigh, "could you throw me down a towel?"

     "Sure thing!" Rick answered before disappearing into the lab. 

     Moments later, a towel soared out from the window, landing over Professor Oak's head.

     "Thank you.. Rick" muttered Oak.

     "No prob!"

Obviously, I wasn't the best aide he had, but the Professor was a friend of the family and felt he owed me the opportunity to support and to prove myself. You see, my father, who was a pokemon trainer, ran off with a female trainer when I was young. Rumor was he had become a gym trainer in some far off town. As for my mom… well, you'll find out about her later.

     After giving Oak time to dry off and cool down, Rick called out "Hey professor, do you mind if I take off for now? I'd like to run home and check up on mom."

     "Go ahead," consented Oak, "But be back here by noon. I have a few more tasks that need completed before the new trainers arrive this afternoon."

     With a groan, Rick closed the window.

Oh, I forgot to mention, unlike most kids in Pallet Town, I had absolutely no interest in becoming a Pokemon trainer. I actually didn't care much for Pokemon, thanks to my father, and only worked at the Pokemon labs because no one else would hire a troublesome teenager.

     After removing his lab coat, combing his short, dirt blonde hair, and straightening the dark blue t-shirt and black jeans he wore, Rick exited the lab and headed down a small path which went passed the Pokemart and, eventually, lead to his house.

Up until then, that day had been just like any ordinary day in the town of Pallet. Of course, I wouldn't be telling you this if it had remained an ordinary day. On that day, my life would change forever. From that day on, my actions would affect the future of the world for both human and pokemon alike.

+++++++THE NIGHT BEFORE+++++++

     A flash of lightning and the distant rumble of thunder heralded the coming of yet another summer storm to Viridian City. Rain was the last thing the city needed, its reservoir was already filled to the brim. But few could care that another storm was coming… it was four in the morning and any normal person would be fast asleep. The first droplets of rain began to fall from the clouds, dampening the vacant streets of the city. The streets, however, were not entirely empty. 

     The faint pitter-patter of feet signaled the coming of a small creature, running as fast as it could, as if a fearfully horror pursued it. The creature stopped just passed the crest of a hill and turned for a moment; listening intently in the direction it had come. 

     "It went this way… I think" A not too distant voice called.

     '_Those evil men are still on my tail_', the creature thought. Then, wasting no more time, it turned and continued running deeper into the heart of Viridian City. 

     '_Oh no, A dead end_'

     The creature came to an abrupt halt. On three sides the walls of buildings blocked its path, trapping it in a small alley. The small pink cat-like creature spun frantically around, searching for an escape route.

     '_If only I could get this thing restraining my psychic powers off, I could fly out of here…_' it thought, desperately tugging at the device fastened around its neck.

     Seeing no other way, the creature headed back the way it came. But it was too late; three men had just rounded the corner and blocked the creature's only means of escape.

     "Well, well, well," the center man said with a grin, "Looks like our little fugitive is out of places to run."

     The men inched closer to the creature, driving it back against the wall. A streetlight revealed the men as members of Team Rocket; two men wearing black uniforms with a red R on the front (the typical Grunt attire) and the man who had spoken wearing a red uniform with a black R (worn only by Team Rocket's Lieutenants). 

     "It's all over ya, ya dang little nuisance. Time ta take ya back to the hideout," grunt one threatened, extracting a pokeball from his pocket and enlarging it. This, however, was no ordinary pokeball. It was pure gold with a silver M engraved on its face.

     '_A MasterBall! No! I can't let them take me back there! I must get away… I've got to…_'

     Hope seemed to drain from the creature all at once. It was useless so long as the strange device kept its psychic powers at bay. 

     '_I can't be caught again… I _won't _be caught again!_'

     Suddenly, the creature's eyes began to glow a dim magenta color, startling the three Rocket members. Then the device around the creature's neck began to glow the same color. As the three men watched on, smoke started to rise from the device before it finally burst into countless pieces and fell to the ground before them. 

     Freed from the restraint, the creature surrounded itself in a blinding ball of pink light and slowly rose into the air. It hovered in place for only a second before shooting off into the distance at a great speed. The bedazzled men stared after the pink ball for some time before recovering from their shock. By then, rain had begun to fall at a steady pace.

     "Shit… SHIT! How did it over-power the Psychic restraint!?" Grunt two bellowed, exasperated and astonished.

     "I don't know," the Lieutenant answered coolly before turning to his comrades, "I do know that the boss isn't going to be pleased though."

     "Man… we're dead if we go back to headquarters," grunt two whined, "I'd rather stay out here in this storm than go back and face the wrath of Giovanni!"

     "If ya did that Giovanni would have ya hunted town in a matter 'a days. Ya'd be better off goin' back ta face his wrath," warned grunt one.

     "Yeah, and we best get back as soon as possible," added the Lieutenant, "the sooner we tell him the bad news, the less severe our punishment… I hope.' 

     Hesitantly, the Rockets turned and head back to their hideout.

     Rick made his way down the winding path to the laboratory slowly, his eyes on the ground ahead of him. Checking up on his mom hadn't eased his mind one bit. He had arrived at his house only to find her lying in the middle of the living room floor surrounded by numerous empty beer bottles and, on the whole, completely disheveled.

     '_This is bogus…_' he thought, '_working all day just to support my mom's drinking habit…_'

     He kicked a small rock as he ventured away from the sidewalk, making his way to the small path behind the PokeMart.

     '_We barely get by as it is and she has to go and blow her paycheck on booze! This isn't how I expected to spend my life… supporting a mom who's drunk ninety percent of the time…_'

     "There's got to be more to my life than this…" he said to himself out loud.

     A faint sound coming from the alley behind the PokeMart startled Rick out of his dismal thoughts. He froze in mid-stride and listened intently, not sure whether he really heard a noise or if it was his imagination. 

     He heard the noise again. Something was rustling through one of the dumpsters. Rick quietly crept up to the dumpster and peeked in. He caught a glimpse of what appeared to be the tip of a pink tail disappear beneath some papers before retreating a few steps.

     '_An alley cat,_' Rick thought at first, '_…no, it couldn't be. I've never heard of a pink cat before._'

     The rustling noise suddenly ceased as if whatever was in the dumpster knew it had been discovered. Rick held his breath, expecting some rabid beast to jump out and maul him to death. That didn't happen, much to Rick's relief. Instead, the head of a small, pink, cat-like creature slowly peeked out from the dumpster, its large blue eyes filled with fear. A sense of overwhelming pity filled his heart.

     "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," Rick said softly with a smile, something telling him that, whatever the creature was, it meant no harm.

     The creature mewed happily then rose into the air, giving Rick a chance to study it more closely. Recognition instantly stuck him.

     "I know what you are! You're a Mew, aren't you?" he exclaimed, "I remember professor Oak talking about you in one of his classes. You're supposed to be one of the rarest of all pokemon."

     The mew Rick received in answer almost sounded like a yes to him. He never pondered this as other questions formed in his mind.

     "What is a rare pokemon like you doing rummaging through a dumpster in Pallet Town?" 

     No sooner had Rick asked the question when a soft feminine voice penetrated his mind, saying {{to get away from the evil men…}}

     The fact that Mew had suddenly spoken to him telepathically didn't unnerve Rick like it would of most people. It was almost as if he had expected it.

     "What evil men?' Rick asked.

     {{The evil men that took me away from my home…}}

     "Why would someone want to do such a thing?"

     Mew paused, as if remembering something painful, then answered {{they wanted to use me in their experiments…}}

     "Experiments!" Rick gasped, feeling enraged by the thought of someone doing such a thing to any living thing. "What kind of experiments??"

     Mew said nothing more on the matter, stating that the pain was too much to recall the horrors of its captivity. Rick nodded understandingly then thought for a moment before reaching a conclusion.

     "I know a place where you can go and be safe until you can find a way to get back home," he stated after nodding his head, as if confirming his own thoughts.

     {{Really?}} Mew exclaimed hopefully.

     "Yeah. There's a man who lives just up this hill who takes care of pokemon. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to give you shelter from those evil men."

     After many a thank you, Rick finally settled Mew down enough to get it to come him up the small path leading to professor Oak's lab (hidden under his shirt, of course, just in case a wandering trainer got any ideas about catching a rare pokemon.).

     Giovanni leaned back in his chair behind the large mahogany desk that occupied one corner of his dimly lit office. There had been one too many setbacks as of late and the leader of Team Rocket was none too pleased with the incompetents that worked for him. With a sigh, he stared at the battered old notebook that had occupied his thoughts since it was found inside the Silph Company laboratories by a Rocket spy several months ago. Its contents would elevate Team Rocket to new heights in crime. The theories within the notebook had been proven to be true after countless tests and now it was time for the next step in the brilliant scheme formulated in Giovanni's mind. All that was needed was one more component… a component that was foolishly allowed to escape.

     A Persian jumped onto Giovanni's lap, as if sensing its master's discontent, and received a gentle pat on the head in return.

     "Soon, my pet, our plans will come to fruition. It will take more than a blundering imbecile to stop Team Rocket's accent to the top of the world," Giovanni said as he petted the cat pokemon.

     "Perrrrrrrrsian," It answered as if in agreement.

     Giovanni returned to his thoughts for a short time before having them interrupted by a knock at his office door.

     "Come in," he beckoned and in walked the three Rocket's Giovanni had sent to retrieve the escapee (despite their resolve to report as soon as possible, they put off approaching their boss until morning.).

     "Ah… I see my gophers have returned carrying a full MasterBall… I assume," the Rocket leader guessed.

     The Lieutenant hesitated a moment before answering, "Well… you see.. It's like this…"

     "I have no patience for back talk," Giovanni interrupted, "give me the MasterBall immediately."

     With a less than enthusiastic look on his face, the Lieutenant turned to the grunt carrying the MasterBall. He extracted it from his pocket and handed it to the boss, a nervous sweat already pouring from his forehead. Giovanni enlarged the pokemon capturing device and clicked the opening mechanism. The ball sprung open but nothing appeared. A frown formed on the lips of Giovanni, increasing the uneasiness in his three underlings.

     "And where, pre-tell, is our fugitive?" the Rocket leader asked in an irritated tone.

     "You see… it's like this," the Lieutenant began, "we had it trapped behind the PokeCenter but…"

     Giovanni held up his hand, halting the flabbergasted Rocket in mid-sentence, "No need to explain. The little nuisance somehow released itself from the restraint and flew away. I knew this the very moment it happened…"

     The three Rockets stood stunned, not expected the boss to know about the incident already.

     "You couldn't do anything about that. It is a powerful creature, after all, and one should expect mishaps such as this," Giovanni explained, "therefore, it would be foolish to give punishment over such a matter."

     The Rockets seemed ready to burst with relief and gratitude but were stopped, as Giovanni continued, "Not coming forward with such vital information as soon as possible, however, is unforgivable. For that, you will be punished."

     Any gratitude the underlings had felt moments before instantly fled from them as several guards walked into the office and restrained them. 

     "Take these three to the brig until they can be dealt with properly," ordered Giovanni as the guards escorted the pleading Rockets from the room.

     After they had been led away, a man wearing a light blue uniform with a black R on the front (the colors of a Rocket General) entered the office and saluted his boss.

     "You wished to see me, sir," the general stated.

     "Brett, you are one of my most trusted generals. I should have handed this assignment to you in the first place, but I was foolish enough to entrust a rabble of idiots with such a top priority mission," Giovanni said with a shake of the head.

     "You can count on me, sir," assured Brett, "what mission do you wish for me to carry out?"

     "I want you to find the fugitive pokemon, Mew," the Rocket leader answered, "and bring it back here so that we may finally commence with Project Zero."

     "It may take a while since the target could be anywhere by now," the General commented.

     "I thought ahead for just such a situation," Giovanni said as he took a device out from a filing cabinet, "I had a homing device implanted behind Mew's left ear. Use this transmitter to track it."

     "Yes, sir, I will capture the fugitive and return here with it immediately," Brett declared then, after receiving the transmitter, turned to leave.

     "One more thing, General," Giovanni called to Brett, "I want you to take Project 001 with you."

     Brett turned around with a dubious look on his face.

     "Are you sure about that, sir?" he questioned.

     "Yes. Mew has over-powered the Psychic restraint we had it fitted with and can now battle at its full potential," explained Giovanni.

     "Understood, sir. I will have Project 001 accompany me."

     With a salute, General Brett exited the room leaving Giovanni sitting at his desk, Persian still on his lap. The Rocket leader stroked the silky fur of the cat pokemon, a slight grin on his face.

     "Soon, my pet… very soon we shall hold this pitiful world in our iron grip…"

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	2. Sugar and Splice

**Chapter 2 –_Sugar and Splice_**

     "Professor Oak, it's your favorite aide, Rick. Can you hear me?"

     {{Is he going to be ok?}}

    sigh "Yeah, he's just in shock, that's all."

     {{In shock?! Why??}}

     "Well, I don't think he ever expected to have a rare pokemon appear right before him in his very own home."

     {{Oh…}}

     "Come on, professor, snap out of it!"

+++++++EARLIER THAT DAY+++++++

     Professor Oak tossed the soggy lab coat into a hamper and slipped on a dry one. Then, with a fresh cup of coffee in hand, the he retreated to his office, the only place in the laboratory where we could have privacy from nosy visitors. He sat down in his favorite chair and relaxed, propping his feet up on his desk. It was then he realized he'd forgotten to change his shoes, which were dripping, leaving a nice-sized puddle of water in the center of the desk where he had previously laid several important papers.

     "Confound it!" Oak exclaimed as he jumped up from his chair, spilling some of the coffee on his lab coat. A groan of disgust escaped his lips as the professor sat down his coffee and saved the important papers from being completely ruined.

     After laying the papers in a safe place to dry, another lab coat change, and putting on a dry pair of loafers (his favorite pair) professor Oak once again sat down in his favorite chair which a now cold cup of coffee and sighed.

     "That kid needs to pay more attention," Oak commented to himself, "He's always bumping into things or spilling something…"

     Oak sighed again and leaned back in his chair and he reflected. It had been nine years since Rick's father had suddenly left Becca, Rick's mother. He had sent a letter from somewhere in Johto explaining that he had fallen for a lady trainer and would never be returning to Pallet. Even though Oak had tried to help her through such an awful tragedy, Becca had slowly, over the years, descended into alcoholism. He had tried countless times to break of the habit, but each time she only seemed to get worse. 

     Thus, though it pained him, Oak gave up on Becca and turned his attentions on her son, Rick, who had just turned nine. The boy had become a renegade over the years after his father's abandonment and had a seething hatred for pokemon, placing the blame on them for what his dad did. But Professor Oak, after decades of helping kids begin their pokemon journeys, was able to get through to the young child. His hatred of pokemon became a simple disinterest and his rebellious attitude was quelled.

     By then, Rick was 12, the stage in life when innocent youth is gradually sapped from a child as they begin to take notice and see the harsh, cold reality of life. His mom's pitiful state was Rick's wake up. Fortunately, professor Oak was there to help. Seeing an opportunity not only to further help Rick, but also to provide him the chance to help his mom, Oak employed the youngster as an aide. That had been two years ago. Rick was nearly fifteen now but the experience as an aide of the famous pokemon professor had been a very positive one.

     "But he has made a lot of progress, indeed," Oak said to himself, "a fine young lad… not a bad bone in his body." The professor nodded, as if confirming this to himself.

     An hour crept by and Oak continued to reflect on random things. The sun had just reached its apex in the sky and sunlight was gleaming through the higher windows in the lab when Rick finally returned from checking on his mother. Had professor Oak had his eyes open he would have noticed a rather obvious bulge in his aide's shirt.

     "How is your mother doing, Rick?" Oak called out into the main lab from his office upon hearing the lab door open and close.

     "Drunk and passed out in the middle in the floor, as usual," Rick replied in disgust. Something in his tone of voice struck the professor as odd.

     "Is everything alright?" he questioned, "you sound troubled."

     "Well… I am," answered Rick as he entered Oak's office.

     The professor opened his eyes and immediately noticed the bulge in Rick's shirt. With a perplexed look on his face, Oak asked, "What in blazes are you hiding in your shirt, Rick??"

     As an answer, a small, cat-like creature that was pink in color removed itself from under the young boy's shirt and perched on Oak's desk. The professor jumped to his feet and gaped at this creature before him, unable to believe his own eyes. Were it possible, his jaw would have gone through the floor.

    "Is that… that's a…. GREAT SCOTT!"

     With that, professor Oak promptly fell back into his chair and sat there, gaping, and said no more for quite some time.

     "Come on, professor, snap out of it!" Rick said again, this time shaking professor Oak but still receiving no answer.

     {{He's been like this for nearly twenty minutes… how long do you think this will last?}} Mew asked in a worried tone.

     "He should snap out of it any time now," Rick answered, remembering a previous occasion when professor Oak did this after a chance encounter with the Legendary Cat, Entei in the grass fields north of Pallet.

      Rick had no sooner said this when the professor took a long and deep breath then looked up at his aide, a flabbergasted expression still present on his face.

     "Tell me..." Oak began in a bewildered tone, "why was there a legendary Pokemon hiding in your shirt??" 

     {{Let me explain. I can tell him much more,}} Mew cut in as Rick was about to say something.

     "Uhh… err… okay…" Oak managed to squeak meekly, as if caught off guard by Mew's psychically projected voice in his head.

     Without hesitation, Mew began to relate its story to the professor from the time of its capture up to its meeting with Rick. Mew had once lived with a colony of Mews and a strange creature which called itself Mewtwo in some far off mountains. One day, in the late fall of last year, a group of strange-looking men that Mewtwo called 'Team Rocket' had appeared and attacked the colony. In the confusion, Mew had gotten separated from the rest and was later captured. 

     Mew described, in little detail, its imprisonment in some strange laboratory where experiments were frequently performed on it. The one thing, however, that stood out in Mew's mind most was a green door in the back of the laboratory that had caused it more fear and dismay than all the experiments combined:

     {{They were constantly taking other pokemon behind that door. None of them ever came back out again… And there were always screams constantly coming from behind that door. Some of them were screams of fear and pain… while others were.. were like nothing I've never heard before… or care to hear again… all I know is most of the screams must of come from the pokemon that were taken inside…}} 

     Mew went on to describe the fortunate break that had led to its escape. The Rocket scientists were preparing to take Mew into the much-feared room when one of them had stumbled and knocked the cage over. The door was jolted open in the fall and Mew had been able to slip out and make a run for it. After escaping Team Rocket's hideout through the air ventilation system, Mew had run as fast as it could through Viridian City, all the while being tailed by three Rocket members. 

     Mew finished its story with its last minute escape and chance meeting with Rick then looked up at professor Oak, not sure what sort of response to expect. Much to Mew's surprise, the account of its ordeal seemed to disturb the professor greatly. Rick was also silent, having heard Mew's full story for the first time himself. Finally, after a long and uncomfortable silence, Oak only said, "this is.. terrible news…'

     Saying nothing more, the professor turned away from Rick and Mew. Had they been able to see his face, they would have seen a deeply troubled expression and his normally deep, thoughtful eyes filled with worry. To himself and under his breath, Oak simply muttered 'Could they have succeeded… so soon…'

     Concerned by professor Oak's uncharacteristic response, Rick took a step forward and asked, "Is everything alright, professor?" After receiving no response for several seconds, the young aide added, "What could they possibly be up to? They're just a bunch of Pokemon thieves… aren't they?"

     "They are, indeed, a band of thieves.. when it suits their needs… but I fear they now have become something far worse than an organization of petty pokemon filchers," Oak explained, "as for what they're up to…" Oak halted his explanation there and would not say anymore.

     Another long, uneasy silence filled the laboratory and remained for quite some time; Oak having fallen deep into thought, Rick trying to make sense of everything, and Mew troubled by its ordeal of the passed few months. Finally, with so many questions floating in his mind, Rick broke the silence.

     "Professor, what aren't you telling us? Why is Team Rocket so interesting in Mew and running all sorts of weird experiments on her?" (Somehow, Rick knew Mew was female though he didn't stop to ponder why.)

     "I can't explain…" the professor responded, "not until I'm certain…" Rick found no comfort in this answer.

     "One thing for is for certain, however," Oak continued, "Team Rocket mustn't be allowed to recapture Mew. The ramifications, I fear, would be unimaginably disastrous."

     Mew looked down at the gray tiles that made up the floor of professor Oak's lab and said nothing. 

     Rick opened his mouth; ready to protest this lack of information once more when his eyes fell on the somber Mew, whose very life was in the center of whatever horrific designs Team Rocket had concocted, and decided letting the matter rest for the moment was best. Instead, he asked another pressing question in his mind.

     "Would Mew be safe here with you, professor?"

     Oak hesitated before answering, "I honestly don't think so. They'll come in force once they find out Mew is here… and I don't think a hostile invasion would be good for a small town like Pallet."

     "There's got to be some place where she will be safe!" Rick exclaimed.

     "And I'll find it if such a place exists," Oak responded, "until then, we've got to keep this to ourselves. We cannot tell anyone about Mew because you never know who might be working for Team Rocket."

     After finding a suitable hiding place for Mew (inside the broom closet, much to her dismay) Rick and Professor Oak attempted to make the day seem as normal as possible with little success. Both of their thoughts constantly strayed to the poor creature in the broom closet and the predicament with Team Rocket. 

     As the day dragged on, other lab aides showed up for work and the newest batch of trainers showed up to receive their starting pokemon. All went well until an overly curious ten year old began noising around near the Mew's hiding place:

     "What's in here, I wonder," the kid said to himself, reaching for the broom closet doorknob.

     "Don't go in there!!" Oak and Rick shouted in unison, pulling the boy away from his nosy explorations.

     "Why not!" the kid demanded crossly.

     "Because.. um.. there's nothing interesting in there. It's just a broom closet," Rick stated uneasily.

     "Are you sure it doesn't led to a secret part of the lab where all the really cool stuff is?" the boy asked, suspiciously.

     "Of course not! I'm not some mad scientist. I'm a pokemon professor. What would I need a secret laboratory for?" Oak responded, trying to sound as matter-of-factly as possible.

     "Hmm… I dunno…' the boy said, still doubtful, "I think I should check just in case!"

     "Before either of them could stop him, the kid had reached out and jerked the broom closet door open. Both Rick and the professor sucked in a breath of air as all three peered in. There was nothing but mops, pails, and other cleaning equipment in the room. The kid seemed vastly disappointed.

     "Humph… how boring. You'd think the lab of the great Pokemon Professor would be more exciting," complained the kid.

     "It can be very interesting if you stay in the designated area," Oak replied as he hastily closed the door.

     As the door of the broom closet swung shut, Rick couldn't help but notice on of the over-turned pails shift its position ever so slightly.

     "Finally!" Oak exclaimed as the last kid left to begin his pokemon quest, "as much as I love this job, those kids can be a terrible nuisance sometimes!"

     "Tell me about it," agreed Rick as he plopped down into a chair.

     Sensing that all was clear (the other aides had left when things began to wind down), Mew sheepishly emerged from the broom closet and hovered over to Rick and the Professor, {{I'm glad to be out of there,}} she said, {{it smelled like a wet Meowth.}}

     "Yeah, sorry about that," apologized Rick with a grin.

     Suddenly, Professor Oak, who had been looking over his list of things to do, shouted 'Dagnabit!' and turned toward his aide.

     "Rick, in all the excitement of today I forgot to have you go pick up some medicine I had ordered from the PokeCenter. Could you run down there and pick it up for me?"

     "Sure thing," Rick said, "It'll give me a chance to say hi to Jayce."

     "You do that but remember, don't mention Mew to [I]anyone[/I]. Not even Jayce," warned Oak, "and when you return, we'll discuss exactly what to do in regards to finding safe refuge for our little friend."

     With a nod and a wave, Rick left the lab and headed down the main path from Oak's lab, which led directly toward the PokeCenter. The professor turned around and found himself looking at a very dejected looking Mew.

     "Why are you so gloomy?" he asked curiously.

     {{Now I smell like a wet Meowth as well,}} she whined.

     Jayce Collins and Rick Lansing had been best friends for as long as they could remember. Their parents had also been best friends and had even traveled together when they were young pokemon trainers. Unlike Rick, however, Jayce loved pokemon but refused to leave on a journey without his best bud. Instead, he had gotten a job at the PokeCenter, working alongside Nurse Joy so that he could still have something pokemon-related to occupy his time. Jayce had even mentioned becoming a registered pokemon nurse on several occasions (which would make him the first non-Joy, non-female nurse in sixty years). 

     In appearance, Jayce looked like your average fifteen year old. He was of average height and build (while Rick was a little taller and a little slimmer) with short brown hair and green eyes. His usual clothing consisted of light pink shirt and dress pants, which was his PokeCenter uniform (which rose questions throughout Pallet, though everyone thanked God he didn't wear a skirt like the Joys did).

     Rick entered the Pallet PokeCenter and was immediately spotted by his friend.

     "Yo, Rick, what brings you here?" Jayce called out.

     "The professor sent me in to pick up some medicine," answered Rick as he walked up to the counter.

     "That order just arrived this morning!" Nurse Joy chimed as she appeared from a back room carrying a small parcel, a bright smile on her face, "I saw you coming down the road and got the package ready for you."

     "Thank you Nurse Joy," Rick said as he accepted the parcel.

     "You're welcome," she responded with a wink. Joy then turned and headed for the back room, waving goodbye to Rick as she went.

     Once she was gone, the two friends stood and chatted about menial things for a while. Occasionally, Jayce's eyes would wonder to the ladies restroom for a moment, each time a half impatient, half disappointed look gracing his face for a second. Rick wondered if he was waiting for someone to come out. Eventually, someone did and Jayce grasped Rick's arm, directing his attention in the direction of a fourteen-year-old female with long, flowing black hair and deep sapphire blue eyes. A shirt matching the color of her eyes, a pair of dark blue shorts, and a belt harvesting three pokeballs fitted firmly over her slim frame.

     "Check out that babe, man! Isn't she a looker?" Jayce exclaimed in a semi-whisper.

     "Yeah… not too shabby," agreed Rick, "a seven out of ten?"

     "Definitely," Jayce concurred. 

     Rating girls they saw had a sort of game Rick and Jayce had played since the age when boys become interested in the opposite sex. Though this gave them a slight reputation as perverts and jerks, they didn't see what the big deal was since many of the girls did the same exact thing with guys.

     "She's been coming in and out of the center all day," Jayce stated, "I think she's got a thing for me."

     "I think you're delusional," Rick jested.

     As the two friends bantered back and forth, the girl walked casually toward the counter, as if oblivious to their existence. She leaned against the counter and looked up at the ceiling for a moment before saying with a grin, "I would of given myself a ten, but thanks for the compliment nonetheless."

     Rick and Jayce stared at the girl in amazement, their faces turning beet red in embarrassment.

     "Y-you heard us!?" Jayce exclaimed in disbelief.

     "This isn't exactly a large room, you know," she responded, glancing around the relatively small main lobby of the PokeCenter, "besides… voices carry."

     "We meant no offense, really!" apologized Rick in a feeble tone.

     "None taken," she assured him, "anyways, I'd being lying if I said I didn't do the same when I'm with my friends."

     Her assurance triggered an instant recovery in Jayce, who decided then to lay on the charm. Jayce fancied himself a ladies man (even though the ladies didn't) and jumped at any chance to prove he didn't 'swing that way' like many of the kids at school said.

     "Well," Jayce began, moving to stand beside her, "since you now know what I think about you and its obvious what you think about me, how about you and I go to a movie tonight, sweet cheeks?"

     The girl's grin quickly turned into a frown and she glared crossly ay Jayce.

     "I said no offense was taken from your cute friend. You, however, have been undressing me with your eyes every time I've walk in here today. You're a pervert and I would never consider going out with you even if you were the last guy on earth! And don't you dare call me sweet cheeks again either!" she barked then raised her hand in preparation to slap the bewildered Jayce.

     It was at that exact moment that a loud explosion ripped through the air. The shockwave hit the PokeCenter, knocking things over and causing items to fall of shelves. The girl halted her slap in mid-swing and cried, "What the hell was that!?"

     "Sounds like something big blew up not too far away," Jayce answered.

     A great unease descended on Rick and fear clutched at his heart. Something was dreadfully wrong.

     "There's been an explosion at Professor Oak's lab!!" a middle-aged woman shrieked as she ran into the PokeCenter, "someone call for help!!"

     Nurse Joy, who had rushed into the lobby upon hearing the explosion, turned and ran to the videophone while Jayce raced into the back for medical supplies. The girl just stood there, hand still raised in the air, not sure what to do. Rick was a statue, his face contorted in horror.

     The girl noticed the expression on the boy's face and asked in a concerned tone, "Are you alright?"

     Rick paid no attention to her question, his mind racing at a blinding pace.

     '_They couldn't have found out so soon… But this is too much of a coincidence… I've got to get back…_'

     "I've got to get back to the lab!" Rick stated out loud then bolted out of the PokeCenter.

     "No! Rick! Don't! It's too dangerous!!" shouted Jayce, who had just emerged from the back room with his arms full of medical equipment, which he dropped as he started after his friend.

     The girl stood there, dumb-founded for a second before taking off as well, calling out "Hey, Wait for me!" She didn't know why, but she felt she shouldn't let these guys out of her sight.

     Professor Oak double-checked to make sure Mew was still occupied with bathing as he listened to a voice on the phone. He paced back and forth as the person on the other line responded to the story Mew had related to him.

     "Yes, I know it seems so soon, but..." Rick began to answer a question before being interrupted. The conversation continued, Oak answering several questions with a yes or a no.

     "I can't say if that is the case for certain yet, but I have a terrible feeling that it may be," He said into the phone as he stared out a window. The wind seemed to have suddenly picked up speed.

     "Alright, I'll come as soon as I can." Oak responded to another question, "What about Mew… okay, she will come with me then. Ill contact you later… Goodbye."

     Professor Oak hung up the receiver and sighed, staring down at the phone, "This is terrible," he muttered, "I just hope this can be stopped before it's too late…"

     At the moment, Mew hovered back into the main lab, mewing softly to herself. Oak turned and smiled at the Cat-like pokemon and said, "Feeling much better now?"

     {{Very much so,}} she said contently.

     The professor was about to say something else when the entire building began to shake violently.

     "What in blazes?!" Oak exclaimed, "What is going on??" The sobering answer came to him immediately. His laboratory was under attack. 

     Professor Oak groaned as he sat up, his head pounding and ears ringing. Everything had happened so fast. A loud explosion had left half the lab in ruins. Out from the wreckage, a Team Rocket member had arrogantly strode in and demanded the return of Mew. When Oak refused, the Rocket had grinned and said, "Very well, then we'll do this the hard way". After that, it all became a blur. Something big had erupted from the wall behind the professor and had attacked. Oak barely had enough time to call forth his Kangaskhan before being blown against the wall by an unbelievably strong gust of wind. That was the last thing he remembered. 

     As the professor's vision cleared and he surveyed the situation, he wished he had remained unconscious. The scene was one of utter chaos: pokemon that had been released from their pokeballs ran every which way in blind panic while countless others lie motionless on the floor. Small fires burned here and there as some water pokemon with that had kept their wits about them tried to put them out. Professor Oak's Kangaskhan lie nearby, a gaping hole in its torso where it had been pierced clear through by something large. But what scared Oak the most was that Mew was nowhere to be found. 

     "You're awake…" said a menacing voice from behind the professor, "Now.. have you learned you lesson? Will you give up Mew quietly… or shall I commence with lesson two?"

     Rocket General Brett appeared from the smoking rubble that had been the lab and approached Oak, a cocky grin on his face.

     "I can never let you have her back! Even if it means my life!" Oak shouted in anger.

     Brett sneered for a moment before regaining his cocky grin, "Good, All the more fun for me. Now prepare to meet your maker, old man."

     Before the general could carry out his threat, Rick rushed onto the scene. His worst fears were confirmed when he saw Brett standing over the injured professor.

     "Professor, are you alright?!" Rick called out.

     "I'm fine," replied Oak, "but don't worry about me, Rick. Get out of here before it's too late."

     "Stay right where you are, boy," Brett countered, "tell me where you've hidden Mew or the professor dies."

     "No!" screamed Rick, "You can't have her! Never!!" 

     "Is that so? Perhaps a little persuasion will change your attitude, boy." Brett suggested, "Allow me to introduce you to Project 001."

     As the laboratory had started the shake violently, Mew knew Team Rocket had found her and she immediately took shelter in the broom closet, underneath the over-turned pail once again. Even as the lab collapsed around her, she remained hidden, too terrified to move. She had heard Brett's demand and Oak's refusal. She had heard something awful destroy the remainder of the lab. Then she heard silence. 

     More than anything, the silence was more horrifying than the destruction of the lab or the joyful laughter of the Rocket general. After what seemed an eternity, Mew heard the voice of Brett again, demanding her return then threatening to kill Oak. Tear swelled up in Mew's eyes.

     '_I… I can't let him hurt the professor… no matter what,_' she thought sadly. 

     Mew has about to give herself up when she heard Rick's voice shout out to the professor and she froze once again. Then Brett said 'allow me to introduce you to Project 001' and a whistle pierced the still air. Moments later, a new noise came to Mew's ears. It seemed to be a beating sound, like the flapping of very large wings. The sound began as a distant thump, but quickly grew louder until it seemed to be overhead. Then Mew heard what sounded like a woman gasping and professor Oak say 'My God…what have you monsters done…' 

     Then whatever the winged creature was shrieked loudly, 'GEOWWWWWWL!' and Mew's nearly stopped beating.

     {{Th-that call! I've heard it before!}}

+++++++TEAM ROCKET'S SECRET LAB – ONE MONTH PRIOR+++++++

     Mew sat inside her prison and sulked. She had been crying so much that there were no tears left for her to shed. The evil scientists, who had been performing unspeakable experiments on her for so long now, where milling about busying themselves with whatever task that needed to be done. Mew tugged feebly at the psychic restraint that was secured around her neck and sniffled, feeling worse than usual. 

     Off on the other side of the lab, several scientists her wheeling a cage that contained a whimpering Growlithe towards the mysterious green door that had caused Mew so much fear over the last five months. A Rocket scientist opened the door as his comrades pushed the cage inside. The door was then closed and Mew shuddered, wondering fearfully what they would do to that poor Growlithe and if the same fate was reserved for her.

     Suddenly, a commotion broke out and several scientists ran towards the green door, shouting in alarm.

     "Damnit, the infernal beast has gone mad again!" one of the Rocket scientists yelled as he ran into the room the green door led to.

     As the door shut, something from inside shrieked loudly, 'GEOWWWWWWWL'. There was only pure malice and anger in that shriek. Mew wept silently as whatever the creature was cried several more times, though no tears were left in her tear ducts.

     "Allow me to introduce you to Project 001."

     With a smug grin, the Rocket general let out a whistle that echoed loudly through the dreary scene. Moments long enough for Jayce and the girl to arrive went by before the dull beating of large wings came to Rick's ears. Jayce, who had been about to ask what the heck was going on, fell silent as he strained to hear the faint flapping. The beating quickly grew louder and the wind seemed to begin blowing rapidly, stirring up dust which then filled the air, making it nearly impossible to see. Finally, it seemed as though the beating wings was somewhere right above them. Through squinted eyes, Rick saw the silhouette of a massive winged creature appear in behind the airborne dust. With one last flap of its wings, the creature that Brett had called 'Project 001' perched one top of a broken wall and sat, silently watching as the dust settled.

     The dust settled and everyone looked up to see what monstrosity Brett had called to seal their doom. The girl gasped in horror as Rick and Jayce stood, speechless in shock. At first, Rick thought it was an over-sized Pidgeot, as its head and body made it appear. But it was something completely different from the rash, speedy final evolution of Pidgey. The creature's broad chest was tan in color with a pattern of black triangles running across it in vertical rows, while its wings and back were an iridescent dark brown. Its face, colored tan like its chest, harvested a hooked beak, which gleamed menacingly in the sun. A plume of head and tail feathers colored tan and dark brown made it appear to be a Pidgeot, but it had a pair of long, silver eyebrows, something only found on a Noctowl. The creature shrieked a loud 'GEOWWWWWWWWWL' as it stared down with eyes that held great intelligence at the dumb-founded humans below.

     "Say hello to Pidgeowl," said Brett, "a product of the plan that will place the world firmly in the hands of Team Rocket." 

      "My God…what have you monsters done…" Professor Oak muttered as he gazed in horror at Pidgeowl.

     Brett smiled joyfully; taking pleasure in the abhorrence these fools took in what they saw. 

     "It's quite simple, really. We've spliced the DNA of two inferior pokemon in order to create a more powerful, more efficient being. For instance, Pidgeowl here has the keen intellect of a Noctowl as well as the sheer speed and unbridled power of Pidgeot. All weaknesses in its genes have been eliminated." Brett explained, pride beaming from him.

     "It's so terrible…" the girl whispered, covering her mouth with her hand.

     Jayce, with a sudden wave of courage streaming through him, took a step forward defiantly. 

     "We're not gonna let a group of petty thieves take over the world, no matter what monstrosities you've created!" he yelled angrily.

     "Petty thieves!?" shouted Brett furiously, "You'll pay for that comment, little boy! Pidgeowl, wipe this scum off the face of the Earth!"

     With a shriek, Pidgeowl rose into the air, its beating wings causing winds to rip through the ruins of the lab, knocking everyone off balance. Higher and higher Pidgeowl rose before arching up into the sky and beginning a blinding decent. Fear paralyzed Rick and the others. There was no time to even think about moving. Hope escaped Rick and he closed his eyes, preparing to be ripped apart. When Rick opened his eyes again, he was in the clouds.

To Be Continued… 

==============================================

RockeDex 

==============================================

Welcome to RockeDex. My function is to enlighten readers of this fic on the particulars of the Pokemon genetically created by Team Rocket. In this way, readers may learn additional information not mentioned in the story.

RockeDex #: 001

Name: Pidgeowl

Parent Pokemon: Pidgeot, Noctowl

Type: Flying

Other Info:

Using its amazingly high intellect and blinding speed, Pidgeowl gains the upper hand in battle by perplexing its enemies with a combination of complex tactics and brute strength. The normal type, which is found in Pidgeot and Noctowl, has been removed from its genetic structure making Pidgeowl much more deadly adversary.


	3. Out of the Frying Pan

**Chapter 3 – _Out of the Frying Pan…_**

     "Pidgeowl, wipe this scum off the face of the Earth!"

     With a shriek, Pidgeowl rose into the air, its beating wings causing winds to rip through the ruins of the lab, knocking everyone off balance. Higher and higher Pidgeowl rose before arching up into the sky and beginning a blinding decent. Fear paralyzed Rick and the others. There was no time to even think about moving. Hope escaped Rick and he closed his eyes, preparing to be ripped apart.

     Rick slowly opened his eyes and found himself in the clouds. That was what he thought at first but, as his senses came back to him, Rick realized he was merely looking up into the clouds. He sat up slowly and took in his surroundings. The teenage boy was now in an open field of tall grass that wafted gently in a fresh spring breeze. Were it not for the turmoil in his mind, Rick might have found solace in such a serene scene.

     Nearby, the young man spotted his best friend, Jayce and professor Oak standing on a path that winded through the tall grass (this, little did they know, was Route One, the road that lead from Pallet Town to Viridian City) staring off into the south where a billows of smoke rose into the air. The young lady who had followed them was sitting close by hugging her knees, utter shock and confusion obvious on her face.

     Rick forced himself to his feet and them, coming to stand beside the professor. He stared up at the numerous clouds of smoke rising from the south and said, "Pallet is burning… isn't it?" Oak and Jayce simply nodded.

     Rick had the overwhelming urge to run back to Pallet and confront the Rocket general, Brett. He wanted to go back and make sure his mother was all right. But he knew he couldn't. If he did, the monstrosity Brett had called Pidgeowl would be there and Rick knew we wouldn't stand a chance against such an awful creature. Rick sighed and turned around, forcing his mind to ponder different topics.

     "How on earth did we get all the way out here anyways", Rick asked, more to himself than anyone else.

+++++++MOMENTS EARLIER – THE RUINS OF OAK'S LAB+++++++

     Mew had listened, in stark horror, to everything that had transpired up to the introduction of Pidgeowl. Then she heard a male voice she had never heard before say something to Brett, who then yelled, 'Pidgeowl, wipe this scum off the face of the Earth!'

     Tears welled up in Mew's eyes. That evil man was about to kill her new friends and some of their friends as well. She couldn't stand it any longer. She couldn't let this happen. Not to the nice young boy and the kind elderly professor. She had to save them from certain doom. Mew's dismay dissolved as she began to glow with determination as well with a blinding light.

     Brett laughed manically as Pidgeowl flew higher into the air, its victims paralyzed in fear on the ground below. This was how things were meant to be in his mind. The small, pitiful people of the world should cower in fear when they saw a member of Team Rocket standing before them. And with these new and powerful weapons the boss has created, that fear would grip the heart of every worthless being on the face of the earth.

     "Attack, Pidgeowl! Make them regret ever crossing Team Rocket!" Brett shouted gleefully, enjoying himself almost too much.

     Pidgeowl came to the apex of his ascent into the air and made a quick switch in direction. With beak and talons extended out, the monstrosity began its blinding decent toward its helpless victims, its keen eyesight pinpointing every vital spot on their frail forms. But it was that very keen eyesight that betrayed Pidgeowl.

     Suddenly, to Brett and Pidgeowl, it seemed as though a pink sun had suddenly been born right before them. A blinding light, brighter than anything they had ever seen, blazed to life then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, vanished, leaving them temporarily blinded.

     Brett rubbed his eyes, trying to regain his eyesight quicker as Pidgeowl landed clumsily, shaking its head back in forth, the bright light having pierced right through its skull and causing it great pain. Finally, their sight began to clear but neither of them liked the sight before them. Their victims, who had been paralyzed in fear before them moments earlier, were now gone.

     "What… where… how… where did they go!!" screamed Brett in a half bewildered, half enraged state.

     Pidgeowl simply gazed angrily from its perch to the place where it knew that blinding light had come from; the remains of a broom closet where only a couple over-turned pails remained. Brett screamed in rage, never having let his quarry escape him before then shouted, "we'll burn this whole god-forsaken town to the ground, that's what we'll do! That'll teach them to run from me! No one escapes from Brett! NO ONE!!!"

     Rick's question, 'How on earth did we get all the way out here anyways', had been answered almost immediately when a very tired-looking Mew had uncovered herself from her hiding place in the tall grass. With Rick, Oak, and Jayce paying full attention and the young lady paying half-attention (she still seemed be very bewildered and confused), Mew related to them the short tale of how she had used the move, Teleport, in order to remove them from harm.

     "Of course!" exclaimed professor Oak, "I had forgotten that Mew could use Teleportation."

     "Well, we're safe… and that's what matter.. I guess…" Jayce commented as he stared back to the south toward the black smoke filling the horizon.

     "We have to go back", the girl, who had been silent since she found herself in the field, whimpered.

     "As much as we all would love to, miss, that is quite impossible. It would be far too dangerous as long as the Rocket and his… his monstrosity are about. We shouldn't even be standing out in the open right now." Oak explained grimly.

     "No, you don't understand," whined, tears swelling in her eyes, "my grandmother lives in Pallet. I've got to see if she's okay."

     The professor knelt down beside the young lady and looked at her sympathetically.

     "Look… umm…" Oak paused, realizing he didn't know this girl's name.

     "Melissa.. Melissa Cartwright…" she offered quietly, whipping some tears from her cheeks as more streamed down.

     "Look Melissa," the professor began again, "I understand fully. We all have people we care about back in Pallet but it would be reckless for any of us to go back. That Rocket saw all our faces and now he'll assume all of us will know where to find Mew, if we were to be caught. Our lives are in grave danger now.

     Mew whimpered silently to herself, all ready knowing the position she had put her new friends in. Melissa looks up at into the professor's caring eyes and found strength in them. She smiled slightly and wiped the last of her tears from her eyes then stood up.

     "I understand," she stated, "Well… I kinda understand. All I know is that we can't let Team Rocket have Mew or they'll make even more things like… like that…" she halted, not being able to find the words.

     {{More creatures like Pidgeowl…}} finished Mew. 

     "And we can never let that happen, not in a million years," Rick added.

     "This is all well and good," started Jayce, "but I would really like to know what in the heck is going on here. Why exactly has our home town been destroyed by Team Rocket?"

     "Yea, I think we're entitled to some sort of an explanation since we've been thrown into the middle of this mess," Melissa agreed. Jayce's ego would have inflated massively from a girl backing him up had this been any other situation.

     "An explanation will come in due time," Oak stated, "but first, we should really find ourselves some cover in case that Rocket member and his monstrosity come looking for us."

     No one could find any fault with this course of action.

     Ring, ring….. Ring, ring…..

     Giovanni turned on the videophone with a sigh of impatience.

     "This better be important," he barked, not bothering to look at the individual on the screen.

     "It is, sir," Brett stated with a salute, "I managed to track down the target and locate it."

     Giovanni looked up, his interest peeked, "and…"

     "It appears that the fugitive acquired the assistance of Professor Oak as well as some kids," Brett explained matter-of-factly, "I had the ancient goof and accomplices trapped in the ruins of his lab and was about to finish them off when..." Brett paused, trying to find the correct way to phrase his report.

     "'When' what?" Giovanni asked, perturbed by the hesitation.

     "When they vanished.. sir…" Brett finished meekly.

     "That infernal creature must have teleported them away." The leader of Team Rocket states then contemplated silently for a moment. 

     Then he did something very uncharacteristic. Giovanni slammed his fist down on his desk, startling his general slightly. "Damnit! It must have found a way even to overcome its handicap!"

     "Handicap, sir?" Brett asked curiously.

     "Yes. This particular Mew has Teleportitis."

     "Ahh.. I see… very interesting …" Brett said, intrigued. 

     "Now enough of this idle conversing, general!" Giovanni shouted, "go after them!"

     "No worries, sir," Brett said coolly, "we have all the time in the world as long as I have the transmitter. I even took the time to level this pitiful town as vengeance for their audacity."

     Brett positioned his videophone to showcase the desolation of Pallet to his boss. All the buildings were now rubble and fires raged throughout the town. In the distance, Pidgeowl was using its powerful Gust attack to level the PokeCenter, the last standing building in Pallet.

     The leader of Team Rocket grinned, calming down quite a bit, "Very good. Perhaps that will teach them not to disobey an order from a member of Team Rocket again. Nonetheless, I want you to keep on their tail. Never give the enemy time to rest and formulate any sort of plan."

     "Aye, sir," Brett said with a salute before ending the transmission.

     Giovanni leaned back in his chair, the grin growing on his face, and closed his eyes.

     "It won't be long now," he said to something sitting in the shadows of his office, which made a deep-throated grunt.

     "Its time to bring the hammer and the anvil together with these insolent fools in between," Giovanni stated, "I want you to be the anvil."

     Giovanni took a piece of paper out of a folder and placed in on his desk. "I want you to position yourself in this section of town. And take some of those miserable rodents I had the misfortune of allowing those ignorant scientists to create. They're becoming a nuisance."

     Another, more irritable grunt came from the shadows then a large blue tentacle came forth and seized the piece of paper, retracting it back to whatever the tentacle belonged to. There was then the sound of a door opening and closing then silence. Giovanni stroked the silky fur of his pet Persian for a few moments then smiled.

     "Yes… all goes according to plan, my pet. If Brett doesn't get the job done, then Project 002 will be more than capable of picking up the pieces."

     Persian purred contently, as if in agreement.

     After searching for nearly an hour, the five disheveled companions finally found refuge in an abandoned bear cave inside a small wooded area northeast of Pallet. There, they sat in silence for some time, immersed in their own thoughts in their own ways; Professor Oak was contemplating grimly, Rick was moodily quiet, Jayce was vastly perplexed, Melissa was troubled, and Mew was tormented silently by everything that had happened in the last two days.

     The sun had long since began its slow decent from its apex before anyone was inclined to say or do anything. It was then that Rick announced he was going to search for firewood to start a fire, more to keep his mind occupied than anything else (though he didn't say this out loud).

     "That's not a bad idea," Oak said with a nod, "It would be unwise for us to move, at least for tonight. It's been a very long, hard day."

     "And while he's gone, you can explain exactly why we're all homeless", Jayce stated bluntly.

     Rick ventured out to look for firewood as Professor Oak and Mew explained to Jayce and Melissa all that they knew. Jayce listened in a grim silence, something very uncharacteristic of the normally clownish teenager. Melissa, however, only paid half-attention, her own person thoughts troubling her mind.

     Ever since she was a child, Melissa had forced herself to bottle up all her emotions and never let them be known to anyone. She prided herself on her independence and her inner strength. But everything that had happened that day had simply been too much for her and she had cried in front of three people.

     '_How could I have been so weak!_' she reprimanded herself, '_I've never let anybody see me like that before!_'

     The event of the last day flew through her mind; from meeting the boys, the immature pervert and his friend, to the appearance of that hideous monstrosity, and finally to watching the town of Pallet burn from a distance. She pictured her dear Nana's house in flames and nearly teared up again, but caught herself before any fell.

    ' _No! I've gotta be strong… for Nana's sake… I must be strong…_'

     Melissa then banished any thoughts of crying from her mind and listened to the remainder of Oak and Mew's story to keep her mind off her worries.

     Rick came to the mouth of the cave just as Oak and Mew finished relating the tale to a stunned Jayce and Melissa. He stood there, a bundle of wood in his arms and sighed. The walk in the woods had not helped ease his mind like he had hoped it would. Ever present is his mind was the well being of his mother. Had she survived whatever destruction the Rocket member, Brett, had brought upon the small town? If so, would she be okay? Rick couldn't say for certain. 

     Next on his mind was Mew. He had only known the poor creature for a day, but it might as well have been ten years. He felt a connection with mew that Rick had never felt with any human. Perhaps it was some kind of a subliminal understanding, or maybe something for more complex than that. Rick didn't know for sure. He did know one thing for certain, however, and that was he cared for Mew and only wished to see her saved from the pain and languishment that Team Rocket's plot was causing her.

     He sighed again then entered the cave, announcing his return with a cough. Had he stood outside a little longer, Rick would have felt a sudden increase in the speed of the wind.

     Stone struck flint and a fire began to blaze inside the cave where the companions had found shelter. The warmth it emitted was a welcome change from the damp coolness of the cave and the biting wind that occasionally blew in from outside. 

     "Thank God there is a lot of flint in this cave or we would never have gotten this fire started so quickly", commented Rick as he stowed the piece of jagged flint and the smooth stone he had found lying in the cave inside his backpack.

     That backpack was an old, worn down, beat up gray traveler's pack that Rick's late uncle had given him when he was ten. Now he never went anywhere without it and always kept a few things for an emergency in it.

     "Yo Rick, you wouldn't happen to be hiding any food in that miracle pack of yours, would you?" Jayce asked, using his personal nick-name for the backpack that Rick always seemed to have just what was needed in for every occasion.

     "Actually," Rick began, "I did happen to pack myself a rather large lunch today."

     Rick produced two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, four chocolate chip cookies, and a small bag of chips from his backpack. Professor Oak chuckled and grinned then said, "Now I know why Jayce always calls that your 'miracle pack'. I don't suppose you have a videophone in there as well?"

     "Unfortunately, I don't," answered Rick sadly. 

     "Well, we have food and that's all that matter for the moment," Melissa stated as she accepted a cookie from Rick and bit into it, "Mmm.. not bad."

     Mew stared hungrily at the food but stayed silent, knowing there would only be just enough for four. Just as she was turning around to go sit somewhere out of sight, Rick plopped a small plate of Pokemon chow in front of her.

     "Don't think I would forget about you," he said with a smile, "Luckily, I picked this up while I was on my way to the PokeCenter."

     Mew simply mewed happily and dug in, not having eaten anything since her escape 2 days ago. Everyone ate in silence for some time before Jayce finally spoke up.

     "I was curious, professor, where exactly are we going to go from here? I mean, we can't play hide and seek forever out here. Team Rocket would eventually find us."

     The reminder of their plight seemed to kill everyone's appetite. Oak sat his sandwich half down and thought for a moment before responding.

     "My original plan was to depart immediately from Pallet with Mew and head directly for Saffron City", the professor explained. Melissa's attention seemed to peek at the mention of the largest city in the Kanto region.

     "Saffron City? What's there that could possibly help us?" Jayce asked, "The Silph Company?"

     Oak hesitated for a moment, weighing the situation in his mind. Was revealing such vitally secret information called for? Quickly, yet decisively, he came to a decision.

     "No… not Silph Company. There is… an organization… a secret organization whose headquarters is in Saffron. Their soul objective is to halt the world-dominating plans of Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket… their name is…"

     "Team Missile…" interrupted Melissa, much to the professor's shock and amazement, 

     "Y-you know about them!?" Oak exclaimed, flabbergasted.

     "Yes. My mother was a member before she.. before she went away. I followed her one day and discovered their secret base," she explained.

     "So you're Denise Cartwright's daughter. I should have known. You are the spitting image of her," Oak said, trailing off topic.

     "Excuse me, professor, your plan," Jayce interjected as Oak was about to say something else to Melissa. Jayce received a dirty look from the young lady in return, her always liking to hear the nice things people said about her mother.

     "Oh, yes… the plan is, we will head for Saffron City. When we get there, Team Missile should know what to do from then on."

     {{Will we be safe with them?}} Mew, who had been sitting quietly, listening, asked.

     "Much safer than we will be anywhere else," Oak replied with a nod.

     "And we should set out first thing in the morning," added Rick, "The longer we stay in one place, the more likely That Rocket and Pidgeowl will find us."

     "Now hold on a sec," Jayce chimed in, standing up, "we don't have to walk all that way. We have Mew with us. She could Teleport us straight to Saffron City, no problems what-so-ever, right Mew?"

     Jayce turned toward the pink cat-like pokemon, beaming from his ingenuity. He was greeted by a very forlorn Mew staring up at him sadly.

     The beaming grin on his face slowly fell away, "I _am_ right… ain't I, Mew?"

     {{Uh… well…  it's not quite that simple, I'm afraid…}} Mew answered in a cheerless tone.

     "Why? What's the problem?" asked a worried Rick.

     {{Well… you see…}}, Mew began, struggling for the right words, {{…it's like this… I have a condition known as Teleportitis… it's an extremely rare disease among psychic pokemon that only allows me to use Teleport when I've reached an emotional pinnacle…}}

     "This is most unfortunate," Professor Oak stated, grimly shaking his head.

     "So we're gonna have to travel out in the open all the way to Saffron with Team Rocket on our tail all the way?? I don't like the sound of that at all," complained Jayce.

     {{I'm sorry…}} apologized Mew sorrowfully, a tear beginning to form in her eye.

     Melissa bolted to her feet and stood before Jayce, poisoned dagger in her eyes.

     "You pig-headed Neanderthal! How could you say such a thing after she told us about her condition!?" Melissa reproached him coarsely.

     "I was just saying that…" Jayce began pathetically.

     "You're a real insensitive jerk, you know that!!" the enraged girl shouted.

     "I didn't mean anything by it, really!" Jayce exclaimed apologetically.

     {{It's all right; no harm was done,}} Mew said in as cheery a voice as she could muster.

     "Yea, come on you two, we've no time for this," Rick added as he tried to force himself between the two.

     Disregarding Mew and Rick's pleas, Melissa raised her hand; preparing to deliver the slap to Jayce she meant to give him earlier.

     The strike would never fall as a swift gust of wind suddenly ripped through the cave, blowing out the fire and shrouding the cave in complete darkness. The sudden darkness lastly only long enough to bewilder the companions before a new light illuminated the cave. This light came from an Elekid who had just used Flash at the order of its trainer, who now stood before the confused group. 

     "Well, well, well… we meet again," said a familiar voice.

     As their eyes became accustomed to this new, brighter light, the companions, much to their dismay, saw a man in a light blue Team Rocket uniform standing before them. It was general Brett and Pidgeowl could be seen behind him, staring into the cave with its cold, intelligent eyes.  

To Be Continued… 


	4. Into the Fire

**Chapter 4 – _…Into the Fire_**

     A swift gust of wind suddenly ripped through the cave, blowing out the fire and shrouding the cave in complete darkness. The sudden darkness lasted only long enough to bewilder the companions before a new light illuminated the cave. This light came from an Elekid who had just used Flash at the order of its trainer, who now stood before the confused group. 

     "Well, well, well… we meet again," said a familiar voice.

Ever notice how, when your life is in grave danger, all you can think about is the ones you love?

     As their eyes became accustomed to this new, brighter light, the companions, much to their dismay, saw a man in a light blue Team Rocket uniform standing before them. It was General Brett, and Pidgeowl could be seen behind him, staring into the cave with its cold, intelligent eyes.

     "You!" Rick exclaimed, clenching his fists.

     "You can call me Rocket General Brett, kid. And remove the impudence from your voice before I'm forced to do something _really_ terrible to you," Brett threatened.

     "I'd like to see you try!" Rick shouted, taking a step forward in defiance.

     "H-hey, man, calm down a little," Jayce pleaded, trying to restrain his friend, "Now isn't the time for rashness!"

     But it was too late; Rick's challenge had irritated Brett enough. The Rocket General quickly removed a pistol from his back pocket and aimed it straight at Rick's heart.

     "Insolent whelps! I'll blast you both to hell, that's what I'll do!"

     Brett squeezed the trigger. The gunshot reverberated through the cave. Melissa gasped as Professor Oak shouted in astonishment. Rick was dead silent.

At that time, all I could think about was if my mother had survived the destruction that Brett had wreaked on Pallet…

     A cold, unforgiving moon hung over the now desolate town of Pallet. Over ninety percent of the town had been completely obliterated by the giant bird and its rider, who had dropped small bombs on random building, laughing all the while. Now all the survivors were gathering inside the few buildings to somehow remain practically unscathed. One of those buildings was the local bar.

     Two men carried another wounded victim to the back of the bar where the town doctor could attend him. Nurse Joy helped as much as her limited training in healing humans would allow. Everyone has moodily silent, only the occasional groan of the injured breaking the silence. 

     A man suddenly stood up, gaining everyone's attention. He was a grim-faced middle-aged man who wore a black top hat over his thinning brown hair, dignifying him as the mayor of Pallet town. His eyes scanned the room slowly, taking a mental count of those present, then looked down at some papers that he held in his hand before he spoke.

     "The other shelters have sent reports to me on survivors and casualties… by the grace of God, only 2 people have died this day.. thus far…" he paused as more than one person broke into tears.  Dourly, he forced himself to continue.

     "Unfortunately, there are still several whom are unaccounted for. One is Professor Oak… the others are miss Abigail Cartwright.. Jayce Collins.. Rick Lansing.. and an unknown Pokemon trainer seen accompanying the aforementioned young men toward Oak's lab shortly after the first explosion… sadly, we must assume that they, too, have departed this earth…"

     "Bullshit!" a gruff female voice called from one side of the bar. 

     All eyes shifted to the location of the outburst. Standing there, a shot glass in hand, was a disheveled woman who looked about in her mid-thirties. Her long brown hair was unkempt and her amber eyes were deeply bloodshot from too much drinking. With her free hand, she straightened up her beer-stained blue blouse in an attempt to look as presentable as she could in her present state.

     "My son is not dead," she said in a more calm yet just as defiant voice.

     The mayor looked at her sorrowfully for a moment before saying, "Miss Lansing… please… now is not the time for one of your drunken outbursts…"

     "Shut it, Maynard!" Becca Lansing snapped, interrupting the mayor, "I refuse to believe that my son is dead! He said he'd never abandon me like his father did…" Becca dropped the half full shot glass, which shattered on the floor. She was nearly in tears.

     Almost instantly, both Maynard the mayor as well as Nurse Joy were at her side, trying to calm her down.

     "Look Becca… every nook and cranny has been searched… I…" the mayor halted, unsure of what to say.

     "They may have been chased out of town and are simply taking shelter in a cave somewhere," Nurse Joy said reassuringly, "all we can do is sit and wait for the morning."

     Becca pushed Maynard and Joy away and stumbled a few steps forward.

     "I don't wanna wait 'til morning!" she shouted as she wobbled toward the door.

     "Wait! Becca, Stop!" the mayor called out, ready to go after her only to have Nurse Joy restrain him.

     "Let her go… perhaps a walk will do her good," she stated.

     "But that monstrosity might still be out there…" argued Maynard.

     "It's been eight hours since we last heard anything from the monster. I think it's safe to assume it's gone," Joy countered.

     The mayor hesitated a moment then nodded grimly as he watched Becca exit the bar. But great worry still gnawed at his mind.

     Brett squeezed the trigger. The gunshot reverberated through the cave. Melissa gasped as Professor Oak shouted in astonishment. Rick was dead silent, his eyes squeezed tightly shut, expecting to feel the bullet tear through his chest at any second. But it never came. Instead, he heard a bitter curse escape Brett's lips.

     "Mangy beast!" the Rocket snarled, "I should kill you for that!"

     Rick dared to open his eyes and saw a very enraged Brett futilely trying to grab his pistol out of the hands of Mew, who dangled it several feet above his head. The gun then began to glow pink dimly before it broke into several pieces, which then fell to the earth. The shaft connected squarely with Brett's nose, causing him to cry out painfully.

     As Brett began shouting out curses left and right, Melissa began to titter. The titter gradually turned into a guffaw then a full-blown laugh. Hearing a mocking laughter in his ears, Brett suddenly forgot his pain and glared spitefully at the teenage girl.

     "Think that was funny, bitch…" Brett said in a low, menacing tone as he extracted a knife from his pocket, "here… let me give you something to laugh about!!"

     The laughter fell from her lips as the Rocket General charged toward Melissa, knife poised and ready to strike. She froze in fear instantly, having never truly faced possible death before. Fortunately for her, Rick was thinking fast.

     The moment he saw Brett draw his knife, Rick dove for his backpack and removed from it the jagged piece of flint he had found earlier. It wouldn't be much against a steel knife, but it would have to do. Rick moved faster than he ever knew he could and was in front of Melissa just as Brett reached her.

     Steel and flint struck and a small piece of the flint broke away, but the rest held the knife at bay. Rick and Brett stood at a stalemate, struggling against one another's strength. Brett was gradually winning the battle, his blade slowly drawing closer to Rick's chest.

     "Give up and die, kid… you can't win," Brett said with an arrogant grin.

     Rick said nothing, his full concentration on keeping the knife from finding its mark. So intent was Brett on killing this miserable brat who had dared to challenge him that he paid no heed to the others. He didn't realize had Melissa suddenly snapped out of her paralysis until her fist had struck his already broken nose. 

     An unbearable wave of agony struck him as Brett reeled back, shouting and cursing in pain. His knife fell harmlessly to the ground, the Rocket's full attention on his throbbing nose. At first, Rick considered driving the piece of flint into the chest of this evil, heartless man but he knew it wouldn't solve anything. Rick dropped the flint and, instead, drove his fist into Brett's jaw, sending him sprawling to the floor, unconscious.

     Rick stood there, subconsciously rubbing his fist, which stung from the impact, a stunned look on his face. Professor Oak and Jayce were stunned as well. In all the years they had known Rick, they had never seen him resort to violence. But, when the life of Melissa had been endangered, Rick had reacted as though fighting was second nature to him. What surprised Jayce most was the impact of the blow Rick smote Brett with. He had never realized the strength his best friend had obtained over the years.

     Melissa stood next to Rick, also rubbing her stinging knuckles. Unlike her companions, however, there was cool resolve in her eyes. She had been fighting for survival all her life. 

     Mew found admiration in what Rick had done. In his actions, she saw inner strength that she wished she had too. Little did she know that not only that strength, but also something far greater was indeed in her.

     "Thank you," Melissa said almost inaudibly, turning her head slightly toward Rick and smiling, "thank you for saving my life."

     Rick smiled back and was about to reply when, suddenly, a blood-curdling shriek tore through the cave and a bone-chilling wind ripped into the very souls of the companions. It was then that they remembered the presence of Pidgeowl just outside the cave's mouth. 

     Pidgeowl had watched in silence as the events in the cave had transpired. Brett had been so confident that he could handle these impertinent insects that he had told the hybrid pokemon simply to 'watch the entrance and make sure none escape.'

     Not that it really mattered to Pidgeowl. They were merely chasing after a group of weak, pathetic humans and an irreverent little speck of a pokemon. How something so small could harvest any power at all was beyond him. But the doings of the boss were not of his concern. Let Giovanni have the miserable creature.

     Pidgeowl sighed mentally. This was a waste of his power. He was a vicious bird of prey: A mighty hunter with both strength and stratagem on his side. He knew the most effective way to annihilate any adversary. 

     _'I should be helping terminate Team Missile,'_ Pidgeowl thought irritably, _'not chasing after this so-called legendary pokemon…'_

     It was in this frame of mind that Pidgeowl watched, in utter astonishment, as the band of fugitives was somehow able to overcome the Rocket General. At first, Pidgeowl was too stunned to react. How could these worthless beings defeat a member of Team Rocket? It was unimaginable. Brett had brought inexcusable embarrassment on this illustrious team.

     But he would receive his punishment soon enough at the hands of the boss, however. For the time being, it was Pidgeowl's task to chastise these dissidents who had humiliated the great Team Rocket. 

     As these thoughts flew through his mind, a fiery rage began to build in Pidgeowl's soul. In a matter of seconds, everything seemed to be colored crimson red in his eyes. The hybrid beast let loose a shriek, the likes of which has not been repeated since, then began to beat his wings, sending gust after gust into the cave, each one stronger than the last.

     As Pidgeowl beat his wings faster and faster, the wind quickly grew unbearably strong. Four aghast humans, two bewildered pokemon, and an unconscious Rocket were hurtled against the back wall of the cave. The impact was bone-jarringly harsh and everyone was certain every bone in their bodies had shattered. The wind continued growing stronger until they were all pinned against the wall, unable to move.

     "If this keeps up, we'll all be crushed by the sheer force of the wind!" Oak screamed, trying to be heard over the deafening roar of the wind.

     "Is there anything we can do!?" Rick yelled back.

     Oak hesitated a moment before bleakly answering, "I'm afraid not! The wind is too strong!"

     "We gotta do something!!" Melissa shouted, half in aggravation, half in desperation. 

     Jayce opened his mouth to answer and instantly gagged on his words. The wind was now too strong even to speak without choking on the biting rush of air. But the inability to speak was the furthest problem from their minds. The gradually intensifying wind was making it harder and harder to breath. They weren't going to be crushed; they were going to be suffocated with air.

     Mew had been slightly more fortunate than her ailing friends. With her keenly sensitive psychic powers, she had felt the building rage of Pidgeowl and knew he was preparing to attack. Just as the wind had hit, Mew had been able to put up a Barrier to protect herself from the crushing press of the wind. Had she not, her physically frail frame would already have been crushed.

     But the barrier was beginning to weaken. The relentless blast of wind was becoming too much to resist. In a matter of minutes, the barrier would fail and the full force of the wind would strike her, crushing the life from her body. Mew's mind raced, trying to think of a way to prevent such an end for her and her friends. Quickly, she took in her surroundings, hoping to find a solution.

     Just a few feet below her, the wall of wind Pidgeowl was creating with his powerful wings was slowly crushing Rick and the others. Off to the right, Mew spotted the lifeless body of Brett, which had fallen behind several rocks that jutted out from the floor. Elekid lay next to its trainer, having been knocked out by the collision with the wall. The rocks seemed to shield their bodies from the ungodly winds. Suddenly, it hit her. She knew how she could save her friend, at least.

     _'It may cost me my life…'_ Mew thought, _'but I must save my friends… I won't let them die because of me…'_

     With that thought fueling her resolve, Mew sent a quick mental message to Rick then prepared to carry out her plan.

     Rick had never thought wind could ever get this strong. It was like a whole gang of Hitmonchans was rapidly Mega Punching him relentlessly. Even the winds he remembered from a hurricane that hit Pallet Town when he was four seemed to pale in comparison to these winds of Pidgeowl's creation. This was more like all the winds in the world were focusing their full wrath inside the cave, only wanting the destruction of those who took shelter in it.

     Suddenly, Mew's soft, feminine voice was in Rick's mind, penetrating through his dismal thoughts. The presence of her always-gentle tone was enough to calm Rick's ailing mind, driving the negative thoughts away for the time being. 

     {{Rick, as soon as the winds stop get everyone behind the outcropping of rocks to your right. I'm… I'm going to try and stop Pidgeowl.}}

     Rick wanted to shout out to her and tell her to stop. He wanted to tell her she wasn't ready for such a fight. But the wind kept him from physically speaking and his lack of psychic abilities restrained him from telepathically speaking. All he could do was wait and see what Mew had in mind.

     Mew fell almost into a trance as she began to concentrate entirely on her psychic powers. Slowly she began to glow a bright pink color. That glow then expanded around her until she was completely encased in a ball of psychic energy. Just as she completed this, the barrier finally failed and the psychic ball was struck with the full force on the wind.

     Mew's mental will held fast and the ball held back the powerful gusts. Her task was now half done. Next, Mew focused all her inner thoughts on forward motion. She imagined a bullet being projected from a gun, rocketing though even these winds and psychic energy massed behind her. For a few moments nothing happened. Then, slowly, the energy began pushing the psychic ball that encased Mew forward.

     The tremendous force of the wind was a staggering power to surmount, but gradually Mew overcame it. Faster and faster her glowing pink ball of psychic energy began to go, ripping through the wind now like a sharp sword through paper. The mouth of the cave loomed near, Pidgeowl's frame unmistakable as he stood there, beating his wings at an almost blinding speed.

     Soon, she would be upon her adversary and the battle would begin. All Mew could do was hope she could get the first blow in.

     Unfortunately, the rage in Pidgeowl's soul had not totally blinded him. He saw the attack coming even as Mew formed the ball of psychic energy around her frame. Undaunted, he continued the flap his wings as fast and as hard as he could. There was no way this pitiful creature could ever withstand the strength of his wind long enough to make it to the mouth of the cave. He was prepared, though, just in case.

     Much to his surprise and amusement, Mew was able to power her way to the mouth of the cave. Pidgeowl waited for the right moment then ceased beating of his wings. The sudden loss of resistance sent a befuddled Mew catapulting directly toward her foe. Pidgeowl simply batted Mew, psychic ball and all, aside with one of his massive wings.

     Mew crashed into a thick-trunked tree then fell to the ground, the psychic ball that had saved her life yet again dissipating as she fell. The tree she had struck began to crack and groan before it too fell, landing with a loud crash behind the injured Mew.

     Pidgeowl then slowly turned to face his unworthy adversary, his eyes piercing through this audacious creature that had dared to attack him. 

     The wind halted so suddenly, that the four breathless humans couldn't do anything as they were dropped unceremoniously onto their behinds. Painful groans were mixed with gasps for breath as they slowly recovered from the ordeal and tried to regain their senses. Melissa was the first to stumble to her feet. She looked to the cave entrance, expecting to see Pidgeowl glaring back at her, but the hybrid pokemon was nowhere to be seen.

     Rick was the next to his feet followed by Jayce. Hastily, he grabbed his two fellow teens and pushed them behind the outcropping of rocks.

     "Hey! What the heck are you doing," complained Melissa, rubbing her arm from Rick's less than gentle grasp.

     "Mew said to get behind these rocks so we'd be protected," Rick answered hurriedly as he helped the still dazed professor back behind the rocks.

     "Where is Mew anyways?" Jayce ventured to ask as he looked around, rubbing a bump on the back of his head.

     Rick looked up at his best friend then gazed toward the mouth of the cave. Slowly, he answered, "I think… she went out to confront Pidgeowl…"

     No one said anything else as all their eyes strayed to the cave's entrance. Everything outside seemed eerily quiet. But it was only the calm before the storm.

     Pidgeowl casually strolled toward Mew, who was just recovering from the impact with the tree, his hate-filled eyes never leaving the small cat-like pokemon. The genetically created bird halted several feet from Mew and watched as she struggled to her feet then floated up into the air so that she was eye level with him.

     Pidgeowl glared at Mew and Mew glowered back, never relenting from the beast's intimidating gaze. Seconds ticked by and neither made any moves. The only motion was the slight wafting up and down of Mew as she floated in mid-air. The staring contest persisted for long minutes with no signs of stopping.

     Contrary to her body, Mew's mind was racing. How could she defeat this monster? It was most definitely very powerful: perhaps even more powerful than her. _Could_ she defeat it? Mew banished that thought from her mind. She had no choice but to prevail over Pidgeowl. This would be a test of her psychic abilities that Mewtwo had once said were uncommonly powerful for a Mew. And she had a feeling this wouldn't be the last or most challenging, if she even reigned victorious here.  Mew drove out all stray thoughts from her mind and prepared for battle.

     A dull pink glow surrounded Mew as her psychic powers built up within her. This was Pidgeowl's cue. With a leap and a single beat of his wings, he was airborne. A protective ball of psychic energy once again enveloped Mew as her opposition rose higher into the air until he was nearly twenty feet above. At the same time, they both began a headlong charge at one another. An attack was on both of their minds and they collided, Mew's Take Down meeting with Pidgeowl's Head butt.

     Mew couldn't overcome Pidgeowl's advantage in size and weight, however, and was sent careening through the sky like a baseball that was struck by a bat. Eventually, Mew was able to halt her momentum just before she would have slammed into the cave ceiling.

     She couldn't beat Pidgeowl in a straightforward physical fight; Mew knew this now. She had to use distance attacks and not let her opponent get to close. It was her only hope for victory. With that in mind, she looked up at Pidgeowl, who was hover some distance away, as if awaiting her next move. Mew felt it would be wrong to disappoint.

      Dropping her protective ball, Mew began to gather psychic energy until it began to pulse within her. A deep purple hue surrounded her as the energy she had built up become too much to contain. Wasting no time, Mew released the energy in the form of a beam of energy the same color as the hue that surrounded her. This was a PsyBeam and it was hurtling directly at Pidgeowl.

      He had not been dormant, however. As Mew released her attack, Pidgeowl had begun to flap his wings extremely hard and fast until the air itself seemed to become a tangible wall of spikes that was a Razor Wind attack. The two forces collided at mid-point and effectively cancelled one another out.

     This time, Pidgeowl gave his opponent no time to concoct another attack. He dove straight for the cat-like pokemon, using Agility cover the distance between them at a blinding speed. Mew barely had enough time to recall her psychic ball before Pidgeowl assaulted her with a powerful Sky Attack.

     He didn't even allow Mew to plummet toward the ground as he batted her back up into the air with a flick of his wing then sped towards her, beginning to spin in quick, tight circles as he prepared for a Drill Peck.

     Mew saw the attack coming, however, and was just able to dodge the attack by twisting upward. The sudden shift in direction was enough to stop Mew's velocity while Pidgeowl still struggled to recover from his botched attack. Mew took the opportunity to create another PsyBeam and fired the attack at her adversary, whom has just come out of his spiraling decent. 

     The attack hit home, causing Pidgeowl to cry out in pain and in rage. Unfortunately, the PsyBeam had been created in such a haste to take advantage of the situation, that it had done no serious damage. Pidgeowl shrieked in rage again as his eyes began to glow crimson red. Too late did Mew realize this was the move known as Glare.

     An uncontrollable fear coursed through her body, paralyzing her. All she could do was float there as the suddenly calm and confident Pidgeowl flew casually toward her.

     His calm casualness suddenly turned into a bitter rage as Pidgeowl bash at Mew's protective ball with Wing Attack after Wing Attack. Mew suddenly became aware of a terrible exhausting feeling in her mind. Her psychic powers were beginning to waver. She couldn't hold the psychic ball against such a barrage much longer.

     Much to Mew's chagrin and relief, her foe finished off his assault with one last Wing Attack that sent her plummeting toward the ground. At the last second, she was able to regain control of herself and halt the decent. Mew hovered just above the ground, her breath slightly labored, trying to think of a way to prevail over such a powerful enemy. 

     A plan popped into her mind. It was risky, but worth a shot. With grim resolve, Mew began to charge straight at Pidgeowl who, in turn charged toward her. This would be just like the last exchange, the hybrid creature thought, and his adversary must have lost her mind to try again.

     Just as the two opponents were about to collide, Mew suddenly veered upwards. Pidgeowl stopped his charge and stared ahead, bewildered. Mew's movement had been so sudden even his keen eyes hadn't been able to follow. He had no time to search for her though as Mew abruptly slammed into his head as hard as she could. 

     Pidgeowl shrieked in anger and in pain then quickly spun around, bringing both his wings together, attempting a Wing Attack, but Mew was ready and quickly dodged out of the way, retreating several feet. The cry that Pidgeowl emitted this time was of pure rage. He had underestimated the craftiness of this tiny speck and it has capitalized, humiliating him. It was time for him to become serious.

     Pidgeowl flew away, putting some distance between him and his foe before turning in mid-air. He then sped toward Mew as fast as he could muster and that was blindingly fast. The hybrid pokemon was moving too fast for Mew to devise a counteraction and she was stuck by the full force of a devastating Head butt. Had her protective ball not been present, the impact would have slaughtered her. The force of the blow, however, did send Mew plummeting toward the ground below. 

     At the last second, she was able to pull herself out of the nosedive for a third time. This act of saving herself time and again was beginning to irritate Pidgeowl and that merely added to his already livid fury. His rage was beginning to cloud his mind. All he could see was the blood of this impudent creature spraying into the air, his victory assured. His mind in a incensed haze, Pidgeowl poised to attack once more. 

     Mew hovered there, inches above the ground and stared up at her adversary, who was rising higher and higher into the air. He was preparing for a Sky Attack and Mew knew the sheer speed and the force of the attack would be more than enough to overcome her unless she thought of something quick.

     She also realized something else. Her psychic powers could sense an overwhelming rage emitting from Pidgeowl's mind. He was blinding himself in his fury and was no longer thing strategically. This could play into her favor, she thought.

     Quickly she pondered and a plan formed in her mind. Once again, she would have to take a tremendous risk, but her last efforts had proved successful, perhaps this would too. That notion in mind, Mew dropped her defensive ball.

     This was his chance to end the miserable life of this creature. Even as he ascended into the air he saw Mew drop her shield. In his rage-filled mind, Pidgeowl could only assume that the power of his last attack had been too much for her and that she had given up any hope of winning. She was submitting herself to her fate and he would be more than happy to deliver.

     Beaming with pride over his assumed victory, the hybrid bird halted his climb and began his decent toward what he perceived as a terrified and helpless creature. His speed was so great that he caused a tremendous sonic boom that was heard even as far as Viridian City.

     Mew waited for the right moment. If she acted too soon, Pidgeowl would have enough time to recover and attack again. If she acted too late her plan may backfire. Her adversary was moving so fast that Mew had to rely on her instincts and psychic abilities to locate to precise moment. In a matter of seconds, she knew it was time. Her eyes began to glow a bright white light and Mew released the most powerful Psy Wave attack she could muster. 

     The invisible wave of psychic energy struck Pidgeowl so suddenly that his mind couldn't handle it. As the waves tore through his mind, causing the most horrid sound imaginable, Pidgeowl shrieked in utter agony than lost control of himself. 

     The pain-racked pokemon began to spin uncontrollably toward the earth, swerving wildly through the air. He zipped passed Mew, missing her by a few feet, then he impacted the earth with such force, it send a shockwave through the ground and a spray of dirt high into the air. 

     Mew was barely able to escape being swallowed up by the dirt cloud as she retreated from the crash site. When she was at a safe distance, she turned around and surveyed the scene. But she couldn't see anything yet; dirt was still far too thick in the air. She would have to wait before she knew if she had won or not.

     "What the hell was that?!" Jayce exclaimed as the shockwave rumbled through the cave, knocking everyone off balance. 

     "I have no idea," answered the professor.

     "I just hope Mew is okay…" Melissa murmured meekly.

     At the mention of Mew, Rick, who had already been worrying like a mother hen for her chick, couldn't control himself any longer. Without a word, he shot out from behind the outcropping of rocks and bolted for the mouth of the cave.

     "Rick! Wait! It's too dangerous out there!" Oak called out to no avail before chasing after Rick.

     "Wait, don't leave us here alone!" Jayce called after them both as he, too, took off toward the entrance.

     Melissa knelt there by herself, unable to believe they had all took off into the battle zone outside. 

     "Humph!" she spat, irritably, "Men! Always running headlong into danger, never giving one thought to the women, who are smart enough to keep safe."

     She sat there in her safe hiding place in nervous silence for only a short time before sighing in frustration.

     "Damnit…" she muttered as she followed her three male companions into danger.

     Just as Melissa reached the mouth of the cave, Brett began to stir slightly, a painful groan escaping his lips.

     Mew approached the crater cautiously, uncertain as to if Pidgeowl was actually defeated or not. As a precaution, the protective psychic ball was around her again. Slowly, she inched closer and closer, parting the dust that hadn't completely settled yet as she went. Finally, she was above the area where Pidgeowl had fallen and she peered down through the dust, trying to locate the, she hoped, motionless body of her opponent. The airborne dirt was still too thick, however, and she couldn't see anything. 

     Mew hovered there, searching intently for any sign of Pidgeowl. The tension grew in her heart as each second ticked by. Deep down, she felt this fight wasn't over yet. It was just a matter of locating her opponent before he struck first. Unfortunately, Pidgeowl had other plans.

     Suddenly, a beam of white energy burst from the cloud of dirt that hung over the crater and hurtled straight at Mew. By the time she saw her danger it was too late. The massively powerful beam struck her head on, completely destroying her protective ball. Fortunately, the slight delay as the beam penetrated her psychic barrier gave Mew enough time to move just enough to avoid the full brunt of the attack. But the energy beam was so powerful that even being grazed by the attack was nearly too much for her.

     Mew fell toward the ground and landed with a thud near the crater.

     _That was… a Hyper Beam…_ Mew thought, recognizing the attack from when Mewtwo had used it. Quickly banishing the thoughts of her life before Team Rocket, she struggled to get up but could hardly move. It took a lot of effort, but Mew finally got to her feet just as Pidgeowl emerged from the crater, a smug and suddenly calm look in his eyes as he approached.

     Rick arrived at the cave entrance just in time to watch in horror as the massive beam of energy collided with Mew. With a cry, he started the rush toward where Mew was falling only to be brought to an abrupt halt as Professor Oak finally caught up with him.

     "Dangit, Rick, don't!" exclaimed the professor as he grabbed the teen by the shoulder, "it's too dangerous!"

     "But Mew's in trouble," Rick shouted worriedly as he tried to wrest himself from Oak's grip.

     "There is nothing you can do! That horrid beast would tear you limb from limb!" Oak stated, "This is Mew's fight… if she cannot defeat Pidgeowl… then I fear no one can…"

     As badly as he wanted to, Rick knew he couldn't argue with that. With much distraught, he looked on as the hybrid creature inched closer to the downed Mew. Rick felt utterly hopeless and useless.

     Pidgeowl approached his query feeling certain victory was his. At any time, he could put this miserable creature out of its misery, return to the headquarters and inform Giovanni of how wasteful the pursuit of this weakling had been. He could end this quickly were it his will… but it wasn't.

     Pure hatred seethed inside Pidgeowl's heart. This insolent being had embarrassed him not once, not twice, but three times. He wouldn't let it die so easily now. For the humiliation it had brought upon him and upon Team Rocket, Pidgeowl would punish it ten-fold. This was what gave the genetically created pokemon the most enjoyment in life. Indeed, he would have some fun with his victim now before he sent it to the great beyond.

To Be Continued… 


End file.
